Photographs And Memories - Legacy Of Missing Servicemen

February 17, 1985|by JOE NIXON And LAURI RICE, Sunday Call-Chronicle

" . . . There is no one we hold in our hearts more closely than those MIAs - those missing in action in Southeast Asia, some of whom may be serving our country still. They too are absent at the table, and the gathering will never be complete until they return or are accounted for"

Dec. 13, 1984, during the

lighting of the national

Christmas tree.

There are no graves to be tended to - just medals and memories.

It's been about 16 years for the survivors of three Vietnam servicemen, all Phillipsburg High School "Stateliners," who never returned from the war. Unlike some of their fellow alumni who died in Southeast Asia and were brought home, the odyssey for these three has not come full cycle.

Bruce E. "Brooks" Lawrence, Class of '60; William M. "Buzzer" Konyu, Class of '65, and James L. "Jim" Suydam, Class of '66, have all been declared dead by the U.S. military. But their bodies have never been recovered, and they remain unaccounted for.

For some relatives and friends, there is acceptance. For others, there is still that small ray of hope. Their situation is similar to that of the families of almost 2,500 missing Vietnam servicemen nationwide, some 64 of whom are from New Jersey. Three MIAs from the same high school is an unusual, and unpleasant, statistic.

A 24-hour vigil is planned for May 4 and 5 in Phillipsburg High School's Maloney Stadium to honor the thousands of prisoners of war and MIAs from Vietnam. To be sure, the names Lawrence, Konyu and Suydam will hold special significance for local attendees.

Alice and Frank Suydam, who live on Hill Street in Phillipsburg, never fully accepted their son's death, although Mrs. Suydam said she believes the chances her only son could still be alive "are very slim . . . but you never give up hope."

Almost 16 years after he was reported missing, the Suydams still find it difficult to control their emotions when reminiscing.

"It still bothers you," said Mrs. Suydam. "Some days I can talk about it . . . Some days it's difficult. It's something that you never get over. I think we've both aged about 10 years."

In contrast, Edna Lawrence said she can talk about her son, her youngest child, without becoming overwhelmed.

"It's 16 years, and the shock is over," she said. "The thing that really gets me is not ever getting his body. I can put a flower on his father's grave, but all I have for him is a plaque from the Air Force." The plaque rests at the foot of his father's grave in Raubsville Cemetery, Williams Township.

"It was to be," she added. "It was God's will. I think from the time we're born our lives are mapped out for us.

"It's hard to realize that he would be 42 years old. You wonder what would've happened in his life."

Patricia Slattery of Edwardsville, Ill., Konyu's sister and only immediate surviving relative, recalled, "I know we had talked and I told him I was afraid for him - going over there and getting killed." Konyu's parents, John and Anna, aredead. His mother died when he was in 8th grade; his father while he was in the service.

"The feelings will always be there and the memories will be there, but it's (the hurt) gotten lesser with time," said Slattery. "I think I've accepted it. I don't know - it's still in the back of my mind that maybe someday he'll turn up."

When her brother was drafted, Slattery said, "I kind of remember my father was a little upset because of the war. There were so many guys going over there and getting killed."

The three servicemen were all involved with aircraft in Vietnam, two with Huey helicopters and one in a jet fighter. All were reported missing in action in a 15-month period between July 5, 1968, and Oct. 9, 1969.

Lawrence was reported missing July 5, 1968, while on an armed reconnaissance mission as lead in a flight of two F4-C fighter planes. According to Capt. Carlos Roque at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, where the Air Force maintains records on its casualties, the two planes separated momentarily prior to a run-in on a predetermined target in North Vietnam.

The other plane observed a fireball in the vicinity of the target and another plane in the area saw Lawrence's aircraft take a direct hit and crash approximately 23 miles southwest of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam.

No other radio contact was received, Roque said, quoting an Air Force report. No parachutes were seen and no beeper, or homing device under the seat of the plane, was heard.

After an investigation of the evidence, Roque said the Air Force made a presumptive finding of death and ended Lawrence's MIA status May 9, 1978.

Lawrence was stationed at Camranh Bay, South Vietnam, and was part of the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was a first lieutenant at the time of his mission and was promoted to major during the decade he was classified as MIA.

Mrs. Lawrence said she has given up hope of her son ever returning. "I don't see how he could be alive. He was carrying napalm and he was on fire. I don't see how he could have gotten out," she said.